Whether you’re a computer technician, web designer or even a casual computer user, chances are you don’t want your personal data to be shared with the whole world or deleted without your permission.

Ransomware is designed to trick users into downloading unwelcome viruses. The download pretends to be an important email, internet download, or a PDF file. When the user clicks on this fake link the ransomware buries itself in the computer and starts encrypting the users data.The user’s data becomes encrypted (almost impossible to access) and a message pops up with the next steps. When you receive this message, stop what you are doing. Let go of the mouse and assess the situation.

This Is Goodbye Internet Explorer

Let’s begin the celebration! Microsoft recently announced all Internet Explorer versions 10 and lower will no longer be supported beginning January 12th, 2016. The announcement comes as Microsoft has began focusing on the company’s newest browser Edge. Microsoft is in the process of removing Internet Explorer on future PCs and begin pushing Edge as the new Windows browser. Edge is the web browser that comes shipped with Windows 10. Windows operating systems like Windows 7 and 8 cannot download Edge. Older versions of Windows will have Internet Explorer 11, which will continue to have support in the foreseeable future. As Microsoft slowly nudges users to the most recent stable version of Internet Explorer and reward early adopters of Windows 10 with Edge, the tech industry can finally begin to standardize for 2, eventually 1, web browser.

There has been a lot of hype now that Windows 10 has released its Technical Preview on July 29th. So far, the feedback has been mostly positive. Microsoft is being praised for the move away from the frustrating aspects of Windows 8 and the inclusion of many new powerful features. The release of Windows 10 hasn’t been without its troubles and controversies, however. Privacy, monetization of user data, and other issues are surfacing that have been a cause for discussion. I’ve collected the hot topics being discussed here so that our readers can catch themselves up on the good and the bad, and stay in-the-know for what’s ahead.

I began this blog series with an emphasis on helping small businesses save money when hiring a managed service provider. We provided a guide in the first blog entry about what to look for in a managed services organization and how partnering with an IT company can help the business save money and generate revenue. In this second part of the three part series, we discuss how important it is to backup all data and test these backups on a quarterly basis to perform a dry run in case this were an actual emergency.

A lot of small business owners have to juggle many facets of the organization. Everything from generating revenue for the business, providing customer service to all the clients to managing the day to day operations and addressing any technical issues that arise. We will be composing a three part blog series to provide valuable insight into how a small business can utilize a managed service provider (MSP) and the benefits of partnering with an experienced IT company. The first part of the three part series will discuss how a small business can utilize a managed service provider and how much time and money can be saved.